Stakeout
by Little Pearl
Summary: Kazuha couldn't leave Heiji alone or he would get in trouble. But the truth is she was the one that encountered trouble. So to keep their cover, they pretend to be a couple… Only, do they really pretend to have feelings for each other? UPDATED!
1. Bad ideas

A/N: Yeah, so it started as another chapter for the 30 Sweet Cases. But then it just kept getting longer and longer and in the end deserved to be made an individual story.

The inspiration for this story is one fragment in a book 'Mad about the boy' by Maggie Alderson.

* * *

Truthfully, she'd rather stay at home, snuggling against her giant teddy-bear, under a warm blanket. With one hand busy with a remote controller, the other on a mug with hot chocolate. Occasionally picking up her phone to talk with one of her friends – maybe even Ran-chan or Sonoko-chan, only half-focused on the chick-flick playing on the TV screen…

_But she had to take care of this idiot instead._

Easily, she gave him five reasons of why she should go with him. So as promised he let her, regretting his earlier words, that he needs to hear them before he'll allow her. She could really name more reasons, bust she was in a hurry, seeing the familiar glint in his eyes. Signalizing that he thinks less of her. Again.

_So she proved him wrong. _

First of all, if he was completely alone, he would get into deep trouble. When he wanted to argue back, she just had to mention Kudo for him to shut up. The example of the other detective, his best-friend-and-rival always worked, even now, when he wasn't trapped in a child's body anymore. But who knows, even with both Gin and Vermouth dead, there might be someone lurking out on the lives of those who brought the Organization down. Heiji being one of them. Maybe the experiment on the eternity was still going on? Every time Kazuha thought about it, she shuddered. What would happen if Heiji was given poison, that would make him age instead of making younger? A chibi-Heiji would be cute, but a middle-aged or grandpa-Heiji would be far too much for her to handle.

_Even if he still had those alluring green eyes_.

Another reason would be keeping him focused on the case. Recently, he went alone, in secret and obviously got distracted by chatting with Kudo on the phone. It resulted with the suspect getting away from his hideout and it took one week for the police to track him down. Heiji returned from the stakeout with a blank face, and didn't snap out of his daze even when his mother hit him on his head with her fan.

_He even forgot what he was supposed to be doing._

He finally returned to his senses when Kazuha called him an idiot when she called. He was grateful she couldn't see his heavy blush while calling him an irresponsible jerk. When the phone-call ended, he sighed with relief and with a cool head started thinking about what Kudo said to him earlier. He helped him understand that Heiji is in love and that had a huge impact on him. Later, being beside Kazuha, made him over conscious of her presence, so he did his best to quickly resolve the case both of them got assigned to. Just to get away from her…

_And each time he was with Kazuha on a case__, resulted in a quick conclusion, which made the police department proud._

The third reason for Kazuha to come with him, was the fact that she had a car. A small one, Nissan Micra, but it was still better to use than Heiji's motorcycle. She didn't let anyone to drive it, so borrowing it was out of question. As an observation point it was perfect and Heiji was well aware of that. For his own comfort, he had to agree. And Kazuha was a really skilled driver, he even enjoyed driving with her.

_Not that he would ever admit that._

She also pointed out that she always tagged along with him on cases during their middle-school and high-school days. So now when both of them were police officers in-training, she didn't understand why he was so over-protective. Danger didn't scare her, she was too used to it now. She also felt safer beside Heiji, even if her own life was endangered. Some part of her hoped he felt similar, trusting her to save his cute ass when needed.

_Or maybe__ saying 'his hot ass' would be more appropriate?_

Kazuha might be a woman and one that seems to gather all psychos around, that love to go after her, torturing, knocking unconscious, keeping as a hostage, kidnapping, almost raping… But recently she didn't really need Heiji to come in and save the day, she was good on her own, quickly showing that she wasn't training martial arts for nothing. She wasn't that naïve and outgoing girl anymore. She matured, being more cautious and reserved.

_Heiji wasn't sure if this was a good change._

He would never admit it – and it took almost an hour of teasing from Kudo for him to realize that alone – that he liked to protect Kazuha. He liked taking care of her, staying close to her, ready to cover her body if needed. Still, the strong and independent Kazuha was appealing to him as well, just in a very different way. Especially if that 'way' consisted of some fantasies that Heiji's mind supplied.

_A dominant girl wasn't so bad after all…_

The final reason for her to come was selfish and both of them knew it. Truthfully, Heiji could argue back on it, but he chose not to. Hearing her say that it's one of the rare occasions for them to hang out, made something unfamiliar in him ache. And it was a good feeling. Her lonely expression, a tint of pink on her cheeks and stubbornness in her voice and the way she accented the fact that they would be 'alone', made him wonder if there isn't some deeper meaning to it…

_If only Kazuha didn't ruin it, saying that if they discover something, she could use that for her career. _

He could only agree to her request, with a small polite smile. Kazuha wasn't the only one that changed. He learned to sometimes hide how strong emotions drove him into action. Kudo taught him not to show them unless it's necessary – and the nickname of hot-blooded detective was still matching his personality – while Kuroba taught him the importance of the Poker Face. Heiji was still far from lying and completely hiding his emotions, but there was progress.

_Or so he hoped._

Later, on the stakeout, he was wondering if this was really a good idea to let her come with him. He was observing the suspicious flat on the first floor of an apartment, a camera settled in his lap, ready to be used any moment. The car was in the parking lot not to far away from a club, from where a faint sound of music could be heard. That at least saved them from silence, but it didn't make things any less awkward between them.

_Even if it was awkward only for him._

From time to time, he would advert his gaze from the window he was observing, to glance at the girl beside him. He was grateful that everything was peaceful enough for him to divide his attention. He'd rather not miss the suspects on the move, but also he was mesmerized by Kazuha's appearance. She was busy with making a memo actually, so he let his eyes wander from her bare shoulders and neck to her breasts covered with a small piece of clothing, down to her flat stomach and finally her long, slender legs, that were partially hidden from his view.

_The summer night just got hotter._

As soon as she stopped writing, his eyes returned to the window. She looked up at him and released a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. She was sure that he'll catch her staring, but she couldn't stop. At some point of time, she stopped caring about it. After all, it was worth it, his profile, half hidden in the shadows, with his eyes focused on their target. He was more than handsome than ever, that night. Lovely black, with his clothes, hair and skin, but also gorgeously shining with his inner light, she always found attractive.

_Well, __it was the reason why she followed him to cases in the past._

Both of them opened their windows in the car and they both were surprised that they did it at the same time. They shared smiles, before returning to their tasks. Heiji watching the suspects, Kazuha keeping an eye on the surroundings. If needed, they had to be ready to pretend why are they here. If they had time, they would get out of the car and head to the club. If they needed to act quick, they agreed to pretend to be a couple.

_Which included kissing._

It wouldn't be their first time. Actually, they kissed on stakeouts before. Both oblivious to the fact that the kisses were honest and real, choosing to believe that it was just their 'job' and 'circumstances' required that. Not saying that on other stakeouts, with another partner assigned they would never act this way. Ignoring the fact that the kisses lasted a bit longer than necessary, that they were a bit too desperate, that they avoided looking at each other afterwards.

_That they were in love with each other._

Facing the reality always hurt. It was like a hit in the face. Painful but unavoidable. And they never had the time to dwell on the emotions. Too proud to admit what really happened. Too stubborn to try and analyze it, focused fully on their case. Work always coming first before anything. Before themselves and their own childish hopes.

_No matter how many times Kudo called him an idiot for choosing work over love._

Just like now: he ignored the fact she was staring at him. He didn't even try to figure out why she was doing so. Maybe she caught him staring at her just a minute ago? Maybe she wasn't really looking at him, but pass him, out of the window? It must have been that, as he soon heard her shift in her seat and he felt her eyes leaving his body.

_He felt really annoyed for some reason._

There was a slight movement in the flat, judging from the way the shadows on the lit curtain moved and Heiji for a second forgot Kazuha was even there. His breath caught, his heart beating faster, adrenaline quickly rising. All his attention was on the window now, his hands holding the camera more firmly.

_Waiting in anticipation what will happen next. _

At the same time Kazuha narrowed her eyes. There were people coming out of the club, starting a small fight probably. Two drunk men were shouting at the security guys and it looked heated to her. She paled when she recognized both of the drunken men. They were guys she helped to arrest two years ago. It wasn't anything serious, just a small theft, they spend only one year in jail, but with them violent like that she wondered if they wouldn't ruin their cover. One glance at Heiji told her, that he's too concentrated to be disturbed.

_Too bad for him._

First she let her hair loose. Her hair was longer and she curled the ends, so that alone made her look different. Next she moved closer to Heiji, not really abandoning her seat, leaning against him in a sexy pose. As soon as her hands reached his shoulder, he tensed, but didn't acknowledge her presence in any other way. She lowered her head, to whisper in his ear, asking him to play along with her.

_So he did. _

He let Kazuha lick and kiss his neck and ear, letting the camera go under the seat. With one last glance on the observed flat, he turned to her and lifted her head up from his neck. Both of them closed their eyes, their lips doing the exact opposite before meeting. Sloppy and slow, they kissed, letting their mouths apart from time to time, letting Kazuha whisper between them: "Two drunkards." "Might recognize me.". He opened his eyes, his gaze carefully taking in the surroundings.

_Ignoring Kazuha's closed eyes._

They were still in front of the club and he wasn't even sure if they'll decide to come this way, but with the hot tongue massaging his own, he couldn't be more happy to play along. He even decided to spice things up. A small nipping to her bottom lip and she grabbed the back of his neck forcefully. He smirked into the kiss and she would so roll her eyes on him, if they were open. His own eyelids dropped down as well and he concentrated fully on the kiss, feeling the bliss.

_He wondered if Kazuha felt the same, before scolding himself for his stupidity._

She was feeling lightheaded. She let her eyes open slightly, but not to see Heiji but what he was supposed to be observing. Still she noticed that his eyes were closed and that he was kissing her more passionately. A part of her felt like cheering, but the other knew well, that it's the same as always. A small game between them. Part of their job and nothing else.

_And the fact that it felt good was just a nice addition. _

Heiji opened his eyes once more, their gazes locking for few seconds, before her eyes fluttered close. He could swear to see the tiniest blush on her cheeks. Somehow that made him proud of himself. Still his eyes caught the movement not too far behind her and he cursed mentally. He pulled away, as only to change their position of kissing, but in reality sharing a rushed whisper: "They're coming!"

_Her eyes opened wide. _

She almost stopped kissing him, forcing her mind to work. They couldn't see her face, right? But they would surely look and then they would recognize her… Is there any way for her to hide her face? She shut her eyes close and groaned. Heiji sensed her fear and cupped her face with his hands, as to shield her from them. That gave her an idea. She pulled away, whispering a quick apology to him.

_Before sinking down._

He was too dazed to question what did she mean by that. He was too curious what she was doing to observe the two guys getting near the car. He heard his belt and zipper opening before he could really comprehend what Kazuha was doing. His hands now in her hair, his breath ragged from the heated kiss, his chest falling up and down. That was the only thing that could be seen. That and the 'thing' she was currently doing to him. He couldn't believe what was happening. A healthy blush spread on his cheeks.

_Just as a moan escaped his lips._

He couldn't help it. It was embarrassing, but he couldn't fight the feeling that awoke in him. She was licking him, taking him fully into her mouth, sucking gently and moving her head up and down. Slowly, careful not to hurt him. His last coherent thought was if she noticed how aroused he was just from the kisses alone. The rest of the world didn't exist for him in that moment.

_The truth is, it was the same for her. _

The moan made her smile and almost purr in response. She knew this might be a suicide, that this might ruin their friendship, but… But at least she would have something to remember. His shaking hands in her hair, caressing the back of her head and her neck. The way he was breathing heavily, tossing his head back. She wondered which one of them was more happy about the situation.

_And then she heard whistles outside the car__, remembering why she was doing it in the first place_.

She tensed but didn't stop. Quite the opposite, she moved faster, receiving another moan from Heiji. She could hear that the drunken men talk to each other for few moments, but soon she could only hear Heiji's voice and the faint sound of music in the background. But she didn't act to hide her face anymore. She acted on pure instinct, feeling the hardening flesh in her mouth is close to, close to…

_He made her stop__. _

"Stay there for a moment longer…" He whispered in a low voice, that made her shiver. She looked up, releasing him from her mouth with a loud 'pop' sound. And then she stared at his length and imagined what would it be to feel him inside her. This time, not fantasizing, but knowing what would be diving deep into her. Before she could think twice, she licked the throbbing cock and once again took it into her mouth, earning a loud gasp from Heiji.

_She really wanted a memory._

He felt that something is terribly wrong when she resumed giving him a blowjob. One look at her and he noticed the tears in the corners of her opened eyes and felt the familiar ache in his chest. Without thinking his hands abandoned her head and went lower, to her arms. Before she could react, he pulled her up, ignoring the pain of her teeth grazing his delicate flesh.

_Of course she looked everywhere but his eyes. _

She felt like she was seventeen once more. Frightened and vulnerable. She was shaking, the tears silently falling from her eyes, that she kept focused on the clipboard. So she wasn't really expecting being pulled into Heiji's arms, hugged by him, comforted. A sob escaped her lips before she could muffle it. She wanted to pull away but he hold her firmly, not letting go.

_She always wanted to be embraced by him like that. _

"It's okay…" He whispered, his voice still low. "It's okay… Let's take you home, okay?" He offered, but Kazuha only shook her head. He sighed and with her still in his lap, one hand keeping her close, the other made sure he's fully clothed again. She continued to cry, shame and fear mingled together. He gently released her and panic could be seen on her face. But he choose to ignore it, instead maneuvering her body so she would be fully seated in his lap, her legs between his. She calmed down when his hands once again embraced her.

_Heiji dared to think, that maybe he wasn't the only that wasn't truly pretending. _

He couldn't help the smile when he rested his head on top of hers. He nuzzled her hair with his nose and that gesture sure surprised her. He planted a kiss on top of her head before he released her from his embrace and pushed her up so he could get out of the car. He quickly closed the door, leaving a paralyzed Kazuha inside. She shut her eyes close, fighting with herself so she wouldn't cry out in agony.

_She was sure that everything is over now…_

She was startled when he entered the car once more, this time taking the drivers seat. Without any words, he started the engine and left the parking lot, his free hand on her knee, not in a intimate gesture, but comforting one. She wanted to ask what he was doing, where were they going, but her voice betrayed her and she couldn't speak. She could only cry, while watching his profile. Still so handsome, still so concentrated.

_Still so dear__.  
_


	2. Talk things out

A/N: Sorry it took so long - I had flu and didn't leave the bed nor could concentrate on writing...

* * *

'It's going to be a long night…' Heiji thought just as he ended the call to Otaki-han. He asked for someone to fill up for him and observe the suspicious flat, while he'll take care of Kazuha. Otaki might have been surprised by that, just like his own mother was, when he entered through the front door with a shaking Kazuha, clinging tightly to his arm. He choose not to explain that, focusing only on the girl beside him. His mother instinctively knew that it was serious and left them to have some privacy.

_And to __make tea and coffee for them. _

Kazuha wouldn't calm down and Heiji was having a hard time thinking about ways to make her snap out of it. He had the strong urge to confess to her, hell, even to propose to her, but he wasn't sure if that's really a good time for this kind of actions. Instead he took a warm blanket and his biggest pillow and handed them to Kazuha.

_Well, he handed__ her the pillow and securely wrapped the blanket around her, shielding her from the rest of the world. _

Soon enough his mother brought over the promised tea and coffee, getting Heiji's gratitude. He was worried if the girl will like the tea, when he knew her favorite would be hot chocolate, but Kazuha took the mug into her hands, staring at the hot liquid inside. A bit lifeless, with clouded eyes. Was it from crying or maybe her own thoughts were adding to her misery?

_He didn't like the sight of it, at all. _

He wanted even to just go and call Kudo, because he already had the girl of his dreams and most probably, would known what to do in this kind of situation. His pride made him refrain from it, that and the fact that he didn't want to let Kazuha alone, still remembering how terrified she looked any time he broke the body contact. Even now, she looked scared, so he sat beside her, their knees touching. That seemed to calm her down a bit and she took a sip of her drink.

_At least she wasn't crying anymore._

"Why don't you ever let me drive your car?" He asked gently, watching her tense and relax after a moment.

"Maki-chan…" She cleared her throat, when her voice turned out to be hoarse. "Maki-chan, was supposed to buy the same car model as well. And she borrowed it to check it out… And she crashed it. Well, she was okay and she didn't kill anybody, so it wasn't anything bad. And her parents were so furious with her that they bought a one for me instead and I still got money from insurance, so it was great…They're identical so no one really noticed. You're one of the few ones that knows…" She blushed and again took a sip of his drink, unbeknownst to Heiji's smile.

_She was rambling, so it wasn't that bad, right?_

"Anyway I'm kind of against letting people drive it now…" Another sip taken. "So, you're the only one…" She seemed to regret what she said so she said and once again drank the hot tea. She closed her eyes and grunted, so Heiji guessed she had to burn her tongue. He wondered if she would feel better if she just continued talking, or maybe he should be the one to take the initiative now?

_But what should he say in a situation like that?_

He watched her set the mug back on the table, wrapping the blanket more securely around her. The smile from his lips disappeared, but the affection in his eyes was still present. He only hoped for her to look at him…

"Why do you ask?" She asked in a quiet voice, surprising him. For a second he didn't know what she was talking about, but then it clicked.

"Well, mostly because I played the role of a driver and you didn't beat me up afterwards." He explained with a small chuckle. "Or kill me." He glanced up at her and gasped.

"I couldn't beat you up… Nor kill you…" She was crying once more, the tears forming a river on her cheeks. "I told you you're the only one… Because… I… You…"

_Because I love you._

"Oh no you won't!" Heiji quickly interrupted her, putting his hand on her mouth, his other hand encircling her waist and bringing their bodies closer. "You won't confess to me, not now, you understand?" He said in a low voice, ignoring the tears on his hand and the widened eyes staring at him.

'_Great, Hattori – you managed to scare her!' – a voice sounding suspiciously like Kudo scolded him in his mind._

"Idiot…" He smiled gently, removing the hand from her mouth. "It's not a good time for any kinds of confessions, let's leave that for tomorrow, okay?" He watched her scared look being replaced by a shock, but he continued talking. "Well, I think it would be dangerous to do so now. We're alone in the room, you're almost begging me for comforting you and as a guy I know of only one way to do so… And I think that I know a handful of people that would kill me if I would taint their little Princess in that way." He smiled at the blush on her cheeks and was glad that she once again stopped crying. "And for the love of God, stop me from my rambling, because I swear I'm worse than Kudo or you on that matter and it seems I can't stop now really. Makes me wonder what I'm going to talk about in a second. Maybe about kissing? Mind you mom and you, idiot, are the only females I ever kissed. I also accidentally got kissed by one of my fangirls, but it was only on my cheek, so that doesn't count, okay? So don't get mad at me. I didn't kiss any other girls, even on stakeouts. You're the only one that… Ahem." He coughed and averted his gaze from Kazuha's widened eyes. "No confessions, right."

_She finally smiled._

She released her hand from under the blanket and tugged at his shirts' fabric to bring him closer, for their faces to be millimeters apart. For a moment they were back to being children. Shy, inexperienced, scared and hopeful. Both of them blushing slightly, but firmly gazing into each others eyes. The time didn't stand still, the quiet ticking of the clock was clearly heard. Kazuha bit her lower lip and wetted it seconds later, making Heiji growl quietly.

_He was the one that moved closer._

They haven't shared a kiss like that. So chaste, so innocent. Not a brush of the lips, more of a small lingering touch. It was over after a second, but it was enough for them to be utterly embarrassed about it. Both of their faces resembling gigantic tomatoes. They quickly averted their gazes, Kazuha finding the floor interesting and Heiji checking up his ceiling. It didn't last long though. Their eyes searched for each other and when they met small smiles crept up their faces. He allowed his eyelids to drop, slowly, almost teasingly. That was the only invitation she needed.

_It was her turn__ now._

She let the blanket fall down to the floor and she released the pillow she was hugging tightly. Heiji opened his eyes and once again glanced upwards, acting like he didn't know what she was planning. She licked her lips before she leaned down and licked his neck in a teasing way. She was delighted to see him shiver, as his head snapped back at her, the blush even deepening.

_He wasn't expecting that__. _

His eyes darkened as she wondered vaguely if it was from lust. He didn't have time to dwell on it, because of the very soft pink lips moaning his name while kissing his own ones. He was amazed at the quiet noises they were both making. From the sounds of kissing to the quiet moans and grunts that escaped from their throats.

_No wonder he felt excited again._

Memories rushed through his head and his eyes snapped open. This time he moaned louder and Kazuha just pressed closer. Their kiss was quickly changing into one of the dirty ones that they were used to sharing. Heiji was having a hard time to control himself, to just kiss the girl without touching her in a more intimate way or continuing what they started earlier in her car.

_No matter how much he would like her to continue__ it._

She wasn't sure which one of them pulled away. She just took opportunity of it, hoping to catch her breath. He watched her carefully and pushed himself up. Her questioning gaze followed him, but he choose to ignore it. He took a few steps to sit across of her, with the table separating them and finally sighed with relief. She felt her eyebrow twitch with annoyance, but before she could say anything he opened his mouth, speaking up first.

_Well, she was still short on breath so she didn't mind that much._

"I'm a GUY." Heiji mumbled, accenting the last word loudly. He rested his chin on one of his hands, avoiding Kazuha's eyes. It could be clearly seen that he was embarrassed by the whole situation, but his own stubbornness refused him to keep quiet about his feelings.

_Not anymore. _

"I know you might find it impossible…" Kazuha started in a low, dangerous voice, "…but I've kind of been aware of that, you idiot. If that little thing in the car was any indication…" She smirked seeing how his head snapped in her direction.

"Idiot! What do you mean 'little thing'?!" He shouted, his face all red.

It took 15 seconds for Kazuha to get what he was so furious about in reality. Not the fact that she called him an idiot. They were both used to it already. And not that she was speaking about what she did to him in the car – because he didn't get that she was speaking about it. It was just his male pride that had him react like that, on instinct, without thinking. And well, every man would react like that.

_After those 15 seconds she was blushing harder than him._

"IDIOT! I WASN"T TALKING ABOUT… ABOUT…" She shouted before realizing that it was dead of night and that they weren't actually alone in the house. She mumbled out the rest of the sentence making it absolutely not audible to hear. Good thing he understood what she was talking about, actually using his brain.

_Now he only needed her to understand what HE was talking about._

"I'm a guy." He repeated and if Kazuha wasn't too busy with getting rid of some very dirty images that her mind supplied, she would surely roll her eyes upon hearing it. "And as a guy I don't actually have a 'on and off' switch."

_That got her attention a little and she looked at him, the blush still evident on her cheeks. _

"What I want to say…" He coughed. "If we don't stop our little make out session now I will want to continue what we… What you were doing in the car." He then glared at her. "And I really don't want too continue it under the circumstances we are now in, idiot."

She wanted to argue, to protest, to do anything, but anything died in her throat as he smiled at her, his features softening.

"I would feel really bad about it… So let's leave that up for another day as well, okay…?" He asked hopefully.

_Kazuha felt like her heart will __jump out of her chest._

"Y-yeah…" She nodded and looked down on her lap, trying to calm down. It was like a promise, that they will do it someday, when they would be more calm, in a better situation, not under the pressure of making things work out… And she could sense that it wasn't only from lust that Heiji said that, that there was more to that and that bit of hope made her twinge inside.

_It was a really good feeling._

She felt tired then and relaxed her muscles, that were so tense until now. She watched him from the corner of her eyes how he drank up his coffee and then stood up. After a moment of hesitation he walked over to her and when she moved her head up to glance at him, he planted a sweet, chaste kiss on her left cheek.

"Good night…" Heiji whispered and before she could even blink he collected the empty mugs and went out of the room. She took the pillow back to her hands and hugged it tightly burring her face in it, trying to muffle the sweet giggle that escaped her lips.

_She would have a peaceful sleep this night for sure._

Meanwhile Heiji went to one of the guestrooms, quickly guessing which one of them his mom prepared Kazuha to stay in. Without any hesitation he took his cell phone out and used speed dialing to call someone. Not caring that it was almost 4 in the mourning. And that you shouldn't really call newlyweds on their honeymoon.

_Or just the husband in this case._


	3. Guy to guy talk

A/N: I'm so sorry! I have really no excuse, why it is so late. I've written almost all of this after finishing the last chapter, but couldn't finish it.

Only one more chapter left! Yaaay!

* * *

Wasn't life just wonderful? Without being stuck in a body that was 10 years younger than the mind and soul and being with the girl, now woman, of your dreams, comfortably cuddled to you. Oh yes, Shinichi was quite content with his life and didn't mind the fact that he had to suffer a little bit in the past, to gain this happiness in the end. No matter how he looked at it, being Conan couldn't be entirely that bad if Ran said it was good for him.

_And he wouldn't disagree with her, not when he was back in his original body._

The fact that she forgave him after she learnt the truth and listened to what he had to say before judging him made him the happiest man in the world. Without thinking he finally confessed his feelings, knowing how unfair it is to her, because he was already aware of her feelings – she voiced them many times to Conan…

_But she was able to forgive him so easily__, exactly because he was Conan._

Their weeding seemed a bit rushed, but both Ran and Shinichi lived together for quite a long time and knew they will be okay. It would come even sooner if it wasn't for Eri that wasn't to keen about returning to Kogorou. Out of mercy, the mystery of the Sleeping Kogorou remained a secret between few people and Kogorou has gotten a better detective thanks to Conan's nagging and hints. Eri, seeing that he was once again serious about his work and after he tried several times to make up to her, finally forgave him and they reunited as well.

_Just in time for R__an to move into the Kudo household and begin her new life as 'Kudo Ran'._

Currently she was happily enjoying her honeymoon in Hokkaido. Both Shinichi and his parents insisted that they would choose another destination for this special time, but it was Ran's dream to have a honeymoon here and a lovestruck Shinichi lost all his will to argue back about that.

_And they only had two murders, three thefts and one kidnapping in the last two weeks, so it wasn't that bad._

Blissfully snuggled against her husband, who was sharing his warmth with her made her fall asleep with a genuine smile on her lips. Shinichi followed soon after, a bit tired after their sweet love-making, still intoxicated by watching Ran fall asleep in his arms. It was a sight that made him acknowledge just how lucky he was. Oh yes, Shinichi was extremely happy with his life now.

_Well, minus the phone call, that just made him wake up. _

He cursed mentally, quickly getting out of bed, even though he knew that Ran would be woken up by both his movement and the cell phone vibrating on the night table. He heard her mumble but didn't look back at her, snatching the phone and quickly exiting the room. Ran's half-lidded eyes followed him. She sighed and after a second of hesitation, closed her eyes and snuggled against the cushions, hoping Shinichi will be back soon.

_And that it wasn't a case-related phone__-call, or he'll be sleeping on the couch for the rest of their honeymoon._

Shinichi really wasn't in the mood for any sort of conversations, but he had to think twice upon checking who was calling him. Still, he was angry enough to voice out his irritation.

"I **really** hope you have a **really** good reason for calling, Hattori…" He said in a low voice, his eyebrow twitching, skipping the usual pleasantries.

"Oi, I have a **really** fucking awesome reason. Trust me Kudo." Heiji replied, excitement and happiness evident in his voice and Shinichi wondered if he should call an ambulance to the Osaka guy, just in case, as soon as the call will be over. Still he couldn't help the roll of his eyes when Heiji asked for his trust.

"So? Enlighten me." He said with a sigh and sat down the nearby chair.

"How long…" Heiji hesitated. "No, scratch that." He mumbled, more to himself than Shinichi. "Would it be okay to propose just after a confession?"

_Shinichi knew it will be something unique but this just left him speechless. _

"Sorry, sorry… I don't think I got that right…" He said slowly after few seconds of silence. Heiji sighed loudly on the other side.

"Look, I was on a stakeout with Kazuha…"

"Ah, Kazuha!" Shinichi snickered. "Yes, that explains a bit."

"Shut up, will ya?" Heiji mumbled, between a state of irritation and embarrassment. He took a deep breath and decided to skip to the most important part of his story. "I think we love each other."

"You think?" Shinichi facepalmed. "Wait. Slow down a bit, Hattori."

"Yeah?"

"You were on a stakeout?"

"Yeah."

"Something happened that finally made you two realize your feelings toward each other?"

"Yeah."

"And you haven't confessed… Did I get it right?"

"Yeah."

"Gah, change that manner of speaking, will you?" Shinichi said a bit louder than he intended to. He waited few seconds in silence, checking if that disturbed Ran before continuing. "Why didn't you confess?"

"Well, the circumstances…" Heiji trailed off before sighing. "Just don't tell Ran-neechan or Kazuha or anyone, okay?"

_Shinichi blinked__, several times, making the sleep go away upon hearing the news._

"Wait. Maybe I don't want to know? If Kazuha will go aikido on me, I will be dead in no time…"

"You're going to be okay, it would be me getting killed." He drew a quick breath. "Shegavemeablowjobbutjustateasingoneandreallyitwastocoverherfacesoitwouldnotshowtothoseguys…"

"Hattori." Shinichi interrupted. "I can't understand you at all. Repeat that once again, just slowly…"

"She gave me a blowjob, okay? And almost made me come." He mumbled finally after few seconds of silence. "Don't you think that wouldn't be a good time for confessions?"

_Shinichi didn't answer him__, temporarily turned into stone with his mouth hanging open.._

"Oi, Kudo? Kudo!" Heiji said in a loud whisper. "Oh come on, get over it, it's not that, what is important…"

"Oh, believe me it is." Shinichi snorted. "Well, this is a bit surprising. But no, don't give me the details. I still want to go back to sleep after this. Then when do you want to finally tell her?"

"Tomorrow?"

"That's a question?"

"I mean in the morning, so I don't know if it's today or tomorrow." Heiji explained. "I want to propose."

Shinichi had a hard time not laughing out loud.

"She'll refuse." He stated in an amused voice. "Maybe confess first? Date her… And then propose?"

_Heiji __was too impatient for that._

"I was afraid you'd say that…"

"It's the truth, so don't blame me." Shinichi waited for a response but when silence answered him he sighed. "Look. You'll make her happier if you'll take it slow."

"Look who's talking…" He heard Shinichi suppressing a yawn. "Okay, go back to neechan. You lucky guy…"

"Hattori, just don't do anything I would do."

"Isn't that 'don't do anything I wouldn't do'?" Heiji asked confused.

"No, not in our case. You're hot-blooded, I'm emotionally unstable" Shinichi answered in a serious tone, though he was smiling. "And I have the girl already. Anyways, I'm going back to bed. Don't call me anymore today."

"…during the day?" Heiji asked quite of desperately.

"Okay, during the day…"

_An finally they hanged up, both quickly slumping to sleep._

Not proposing to Kazuha on the morning after was much more harder than Heiji would like to imagine. The confession went smoothly though, much to his surprise. But on the other hand, he wasn't expecting Kazuha to speak up first. When he was freaking out how to tell her, she just tiptoed and planted a chaste kiss on his cheek, saying those three wonderful words…

"I like you."

_Yeah__, 'I __**like**__ you.'_

So that might have pissed Heiji for a moment. He was clearly disappointed and when he answered back, she was quite shocked.

"And I love you Kazuha… I mean, it's not that I don't like you, I do, but I think there is something more to us or that's why I would like to believe, so…" he was interrupted when Kazuha planted a kiss on his lips.

"I love you too, idiot." She offered him a warm smile and his heart skipped a beat.

_Now, all Heiji had to do was to call Otaki to ask about the investigation and if he would gave him a hand when choosing the right ring._


End file.
